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Squalene
Shark liver oil and squalene
This is a rare compound found in only very few marine lipids such as whale or shark oil. It, like vitamin E, acts as an anti oxidant protecting, especially, Vitamin A. The nutritional importance of squalene is not yet fully understood. However, it is found in the brain lipids, blood plasma and skin oils of man. Today it is valued as an important anti aging compound because of its ability to optimize DHEA-levels in the blood.
Shark liver oil as a supporting therapy in atopic dermatitis
Nowicki R, Barańska-Rybak W.
Akademia Medyczna w Gdańsku, Klinika Dermatologii, Wenerologii i Alergologii. mowicki@amg.gda.pl
Shark liver oils are the source of alkylglycerols and squalene but contain relatively low amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids (EFA). They are modulators of immunity to infections and cancers. Their protective action from bacterial and fungal infections indicates that they should be recommended in the patients suffering from atopic dermatitis. Those patients because of xerosis and disturbances of skin barrier are susceptible for that kind of infections.
Przegl Lek. 2006;63(4):223-6.
Health properties of shark oil
Szostak WB, Szostak-Wegierek D.
Zaknad Profilaktyki Chorób, Zywieniowozaleznych z Poradnia Chorób Metabolicznych, Instytut Zywnonci i Zywienia w Warszawie.
Fish oils are the source of nutrients important for health maintenance. The most significant are essential fatty acids (EFA) of n-3 family, alkylglycerols and squalene. N-3 EFA are of great importance in atherosclerosis prevention. Alkylglycerols and squalene are modulators of immunity to infections and cancer. Shark liver oil contains great amounts of alkylglycerols and squalene, and moderate of n-3 EFA. Therefore, it is used as an adjunctive agent in cancer therapy, especially in radiotherapy, and in the treatment of infectious diseases.
PMID: 17083160 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
The combined use of oral and topical lipophilic antioxidants increases their levels both in sebum and stratum corneum.
Passi S, De Pità O, Grandinetti M, Simotti C, Littarru GP. Biofactors. 2003;18(1-4):289-97.
Centro Invecchiamento Cellulare, I.D.I. (IRCCS), Rome, Italy. invcell@idi.it
The concentration of Vitamin E (vit E) and ubiquinone (CoQ10), which together with squalene (SQ), play a key role against external oxidative insult, has been shown to decrease significantly during ageing. The aim of the present study is to inquire the effect of the combined use of topical bio-cosmetics containing natural active principles (including sebum-like lipid fractions, sebum and epidermal lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidants), and oral antioxidant supplements on the antioxidant content of sebum and stratum corneum. We therefore treated the face and the back of 50 female volunteers aged 21-40, daily for two months, with a base cream containing 0.05% ubiquinone, 0.1% vit E, and 1% squalene. In addition 50 mg of CoQ10 + 50 mg of d-RRR-alpha-tocopheryl acetate + 50 microg of selenium were administered orally to half of the volunteers (Group A). Group B was represented by 25 volunteers who were treated only topically. Every 15 days during treatment the levels of CoQ10, vit E and SQ were verified in sebum, stratum corneum, and plasma. The daily topical application of the cream led to a significant increase, that peaked after 60 days, of the levels of CoQ10, d-RRR-alpha-tocopherol and SQ in the sebum (Group B), without significantly affecting the stratum corneum or plasma concentrations of the redox couple CoQ10H2/CoQ10 and vit E.
The concomitant oral admistration of antioxidants produced in Group A a significant increase of the levels of CoQ10H2/CoQ10 and vit E both in plasma and stratum corneum after 15 and 30 days treatment respectively, compared to Group B. However the sebum levels of lipophilic antioxidants and SQ did not show a significant increase. After the treatments, the levels of CoQ10H2/CoQ10, vit E and SQ went back to basal levels within 6-8 days in sebum, 12-16 days in the stratum corneum, and 3-6 days in plasma. Therefore topical application of the antioxidants was able to increase their level in sebum, while the concomitant oral administration also affected the levels of vit E and CoQ10 in the stratum corneum.
Effect of squalene on cyclophosphamide-induced toxicity.
Senthilkumar S, Devaki T, Manohar BM, Babu MS.
Department of Biochemistry, University of Madras, Guindy campus, Chennai, Tamilnadu 600025, India. Clin Chim Acta. 2006 Feb;364(1-2):335-42. Epub 2005 Sep 8.
BACKGROUND: Toxicity due to drugs used for neoplastic disorders is extensively documented. Cyclophosphamide (CYP) is a widely used antineoplastic drug, which could cause toxicity of normal cells due to its toxic metabolites. We evaluated the protective role of squalene (SQ) in the toxicity induced by cyclophosphamide.
METHODS: The activities of serum marker enzymes, clinical chemistry parameters and histopathology studies were done according to the standard procedures in the control and experimental groups of rats.
RESULTS: Toxicity of the organs like heart, kidney and liver was evidenced from significant (P<0.05) increases of CK, LDH, AST, ALT, ALP, urea, creatinine and total bilirubin in cyclophosphamide- (150 mg/kg for 2 days) administered rats. Abnormal activities of these enzymes in the organs and serum total protein and cholesterol were also observed. No significant changes were observed in triglycerides in serum. Squalene oral treatment exerted protection towards these organs at a dose of 0.4 ml/day/rat. Histopathological examinations also confirmed the protective efficacy of squalene.
CONCLUSION: Squalene may be efficacious as a cytoprotectant in cyclophosphamide-induced toxicities.
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